I am very happy to join you this morning to accompany the launch of the Africa Women’s Leadership Fund.
I congratulate Chairperson Moussa Faki and his team, particularly Madame Bineta Diop, for supporting this initiative. His Excellency, President Nana Akufo-Addo, is our champion on gender and development issues in Africa, and I thank him for his leadership.
I especially commend Dr Vera Songwe and the experts at the Economic Commission for Africa for their innovative work in designing this fund. I also appreciate Standard Bank for joining with us to make this initiative a reality.
Investing in African women fund managers is a smart and innovative approach. Female investors have been found to get higher returns. So we all get better results by investing in women.
But before I end this short statement, let me mention that for the past weeks, months, and years, it is important that we have had statements of commitment to narrow the gender gaps and inequalities that exist.
We have had declarations. We have had calls to action. It is important that now we move to real action that gives us results. That may be done at a national level, a regional level, and a global level as well.
If we move like that in a coordinated manner working together, I think the results will continue to be visible and better.
On this note, I thank the audience for giving me your attention, and we will be proceeding as earlier mentioned to us.
Thank you very much.